Atlanta II: Jeff Burton preview

This Week's Caterpillar Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Jeff
Burton will race Chassis No. 314 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Caterpillar Impala that
will be put through its initial ...

This Week's Caterpillar Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Jeff
Burton will race Chassis No. 314 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Caterpillar Impala that
will be put through its initial paces this weekend.

The Atlanta Report ... In 32 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Burton
boasts seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has a best career finish
of fourth, which he accomplished four different times (March 1994, Nov.
1998, March 1999 and March 2007).

Season Update ... Over the season's first 24 races, Burton has posted
four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. He has a 14.9 starting average
coupled with a 13th-place average finish and has been running at the end
of all the races. Additionally, the RCR driver has led at 11 different
events for a total of 379 laps.

Two to Go ... The 21-time Sprint Cup Series winner currently sits seventh
in the championship point standings with two races remaining in NASCAR's
"Race to the Chase." The 12 Chase contenders are determined once the
checkered flag waves at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday,
September 11 and, heading into this weekend's 500-mile affair, Burton is
armed with a 281-point cushion over the 13th-place point man. The veteran
driver can be locked into his fourth Chase appearance if he leaves
Atlanta with a 196-point lead over 13th.

Local Flavor ... One member from the Cat Racing team hails from the state
of Georgia. Jackman Adam North grew up in Sonoraville, Ga. In addition to
his race day duty on the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, North is also a
fabricator in RCR's Sprint Cup Series shop.

Meet the Cat Racing Pit Crew ... The No. 31 over-the-wall crew will be
signing autographs Sunday, September 5 beginning at 3 p.m. at the
Chevrolet display, located on speedway property just outside turn
three.

Come See Jeff ... Burton will attend AMS' Fan Fest and participate in a
question-and-answer session with the fans from 6 - 6:30 p.m. at the
frontstretch grandstands. Admission is free with tickets to either the
Great Clips 300 or the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race. Otherwise,
admission is $10 and tickets will only be sold on the day of the event at
the Gate 13 ticket window.

JEFF BURTON:

There is a good possibility that you can clinch a spot in the Chase at
Atlanta. How good would that feel going into Richmond?
"Well, I was hoping that we could clinch a spot way before Atlanta. It
would be really nice to go to Atlanta and not worry about making a
mistake and costing us the chance at making the Chase. It is what it is.
But, our main goal every week is to race for the win. We're certainly
going to focus on that on Sunday but, at the same time, we'll have to
race smart to get locked in (the Chase) heading to Richmond. Then, that
will be our complete focus at Richmond - to win."

Describe racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"Atlanta is a crazy race. The track has two different personalities. You
have the qualifying race track that is screaming fast, and then you have
to race on a race track that has no grip, whatsoever, and it's really,
really slow. It's just a bizarre race track. Going to a place like that
is a lot of fun, but it's also one of those places where it's really easy
to make a mistake. Atlanta has been a good race track for us so I have
high expectations going into that race."

Last year was the first year Atlanta's second race was run over Labor Day
weekend. Does it seem to be a successful combination?
"I think that combination was good for California, and I think it's good
for Atlanta, too. We had a good crowd there, and I think anytime there's
a holiday weekend, and you can have a race, it's great. I thought that
the crowd level looked a lot better. Atlanta has been really
disappointing with the amount of people that have been coming to the
races, to be honest. It's good to see when you make a change it has an
impact on the number of people that come."

Goodyear has done a lot of work for the tires for Atlanta. Can you talk
about that process?
"That's been the hardest thing that they've done - build a tire for
Atlanta. It's been so tough getting a tire that everyone is comfortable
with and will last. The track is very abrasive and very hard on tires.
That's been their biggest challenge. This year has been Goodyear's best
year. They've done the best job they've ever done. We've had incredible
tires all year. The quality of the races has gone up because of the tire,
there's no question about that, but Atlanta is one place where they have
a big black shadow over their head where they're trying to figure it out.
It's a challenge for them. They have done a lot of work, and they've done
a nice job of moving it forward, but they still have room to grow."